New battery after 11 Years & 73k. All in all, the best car I have owned.

[Mooly]

At 11 years old I felt it was probably time to invest in a new Battery. Although the old one showed no obvious signs in daily use of failing I had become aware that the Stop/Start rarely cut in. I had also done some 'unofficial' discharge tests on the old one such as turning headlights and heated window on and seeing how the voltage held up. The voltage seemed to head south pretty quickly hitting around 12 volts after just a minute or two and very quickly reaching the 11.8 region. It was OK like that for 10 to 15 minutes though in fairness.

The original Exide Battery gave no clues to its technology such as being AGM or EFB.

I was amazed how prices varied and in the end settled for an Exide AGM type from Tayna. Without mention of exact prices I'll just say that Tayna's price inc delivery was still under three figures while Eurocarparts advertise the same Battery at (gulp, can't quite believe this) well over three hundred pounds more. And that is on offer.

The  new battery is noticeably livelier turning over, very much so actually, and also the Stop /Start now works essentially all the time.

Curious as to how 'bad' the old battery was I fully charged it (resting voltage after 72 hours was 12.87 volts) and then discharged it into a load drawing around 10 amps. The voltage instantly fell to 12.17 and fell consistently from then on. After two hours it was at 11.2 volts. I would estimate the capacity at around 18 to 25 Ah give or take but with a significant rise in internal resistance.

So I think replacement was a sensible move and should probably have been done a little sooner.

I've included some shots of the underside... 11 years old and essentially dry weather use only it has now covered 73k with no mechanical issues at all (besides the oil burning). wiper rubbers are the originals. Tyres were replaced at around 43k and the Dunlop Blue Response Sports I chose are wearing really well. Maybe rotate in another twelve months and they should be good for 100k.

 

     

[TonyHSD]

Well looked after car, probably the best one I have ever seen at that age. Well done. You can be reasonably proud of yourself and the car . What else I can say., a nice example how a generous car owner should look after it’s vehicle.👍🚙 

[Mooly]

Thanks Tony 🙂

The last time Toyota saw it they said it was like working on a new car that was around 6 months old, that was three years ago now. I now use an independent and their words last year when it was MOT'd were... we've never actually seen a car like this...

The 'all weather car' is an 03 1.4 Corolla 4 door on the drive, one which I never dreamt we would keep as long as we have. That's never failed an MOT on anything more than a bulb (indicators not orange enough, just three weeks ago actually) but it is looking its age under bonnet and underneath now.   

 

[TonyHSD]

That’s what I like, clean and well looked after vehicles, any make any model. 👌🚙🚗

I look after mine too, but also I use it properly in any conditions and so it can’t be as good but still ok though. I have a mission to collect all Toyota high mileage club stickers and see what the car condition is and what have been changed through the journey. So far at 161k miles almost all original except wheel bearings and brake disc and pads. Lockdown now has put me on hold and I can’t wait this thing be over and I am back on the motorway. 🏎️

[mcntosh]

Nice to see an old car soldiering on and being looked after. This gives me hope that my 7yr old / 48K miles Auris has a few years left in it if looked after. I suspect rust from the Scottish winter is what will get it in the end, although it’s had less opportunity this year.

Impressed that the Battery has lasted so long - been wondering if I should pre-emptively replace mine, which is the smaller AGM Battery used in the hybrid. Seems to be working fine even during lockdown.

[TonyHSD]

51 minutes ago, mcntosh said:

Nice to see an old car soldiering on and being looked after. This gives me hope that my 7yr old / 48K miles Auris has a few years left in it if looked after. I suspect rust from the Scottish winter is what will get it in the end, although it’s had less opportunity this year.

Impressed that the battery has lasted so long - been wondering if I should pre-emptively replace mine, which is the smaller AGM battery used in the hybrid. Seems to be working fine even during lockdown.

No need to replace any of the batteries in your car. Just keep using it or twice a week in winter  keep it in ready mode for 30-40 min at least each time your Battery will last as long. 👍

[mcntosh]

Just now, TonyHSD said:

No need to replace any of the batteries in your car. Just keep using it or twice a day keep it in ready mode for 30-40 min at least each time your battery will last as long. 👍

Being a cheapskate, that’s basically what I’ve been doing rather than investing in a charger and it’s got me through lockdown so far 🙂.

[TonyHSD]

It is a better option IMO keep the car running then been left untouched for long time, engine sealants and gaskets and piston rings, pretty much everything will be happier. I am not buying a charger too, 10 years old if the Battery dies will get a new one instead. 

[Mooly]

5 hours ago, mcntosh said:

- been wondering if I should pre-emptively replace mine, which is the smaller AGM battery used in the hybrid. Seems to be working fine even during lockdown.

Hard to say isn't it. What I didn't want to happen with mine was for it to suddenly conk out as batteries can have a habit of doing but that applies more I think to older flooded batteries and perhaps the EFB type I have just replaced. I wondered if it was an AGM as original fitment but it was not, you can hear the acid sloshing around inside. 

@TonyHSDI've never taken a car past 100k, maybe this one will be that one all being well. It would be nice to do that. Discs and pads are still original at this point. The only real worry is emissions with all the oil consumption (a known issue with this engine). I've put 4 litres in since the last service at the beginning of March.  

[TonyHSD]

That oil consumption is bad for sure, but in a car that well looked after any possible future repair on the engine it’s worth it IMO. 👍 should be fine with the emissions though. 

[Mooly]

Lets hope so, the MOT is March time. Tbh I haven't heard of any of these cars failing emissions tests due to oil consumption issues and I know the problem is not that uncommon on this engine of that year. Same goes for the Yaris 1.33L of that era as well. 

[gezhenry]

During this unused lockdown period I wonder if you removed the plugs etc and leaving like a seafoam solvent to sit as a piston soak for a while might have a little benefit? (I've had a little success at this)

And regarding the Battery, well done there sir 11yrs out of your oem Battery is impressive, aren't those Battery 'reconditioners' supposed to be effective?

I've thought about getting one to use on my old battery I replaced I'm keeping for emergency s, but I don't know the lowdown on them?

[Mooly]

@gezhenrythanks, I've seen the Seafoam get mentioned a few times in various threads (and other stuff) but never seen a conclusive outcome such as 'it fixed the problem and that was 1 or 2 years ago and its still all good. I'm wary of additives and such regimes as a general rule and would kind of consider it 'the last chance saloon' if I'm honest.

Curiously enough I mentioned the high oil consumption last year to the the independent I now use and he was interested and said they had dealt with a few Taxi's (all Prius) and brought out a bottle of something or other, an oil additive I think used before changing the oil. Not sure what it was now. All mega milers he said and we used this stuff with varying degrees of success.

At the moment a 4 litre can of oil is cheap and no trouble plus the oil always looks super clean...

You mention Battery conditioners. There are various technologies out there, some pulse the Battery with a high(er) voltage in an attempt to break down any  sulphation and so present more fresh material on the plates, other recommended techniques involve using a higher than normal voltage but one that is limited in current. This means a heavily deteriorated Battery may see a terminal voltage of 18 volts or more as it charges, then as the batttery recovers the voltage falls due to the current limit. If the current isn't limited the battery will draw ever higher currents and that leads to self heating of the battery with the result that the current increases even more. Thermal runaway follows and the battery catastrophically fails/leaks/explodes.

All these methods generally speaking do not miraculously recover a battery to how it was when new but simply extend its life a little.  If things are down to needing these methods to keep it going then its time for a new one.    

[TonyHSD]

Regarding some additives into the cylinders, I did it once on a car with high oil consumption neglected by previous owner, he didn’t change oil for 3 years, not many miles done but been using it so perfect scenario to get the piston rings stuck causing blow by. I did procedure with Marvel mystery  oil  as highly recommended by us forums, wasn’t successful though,  I even looked at the cylinder walls and they were polished badly therefore I believe that only option was mechanical repair, however the car was old and high miles so decided to keep driving like that , then got it sold. Oil and fuel additives actually help a lot. I use stp engine flush each oil change if once a year or in frequent oil changes any other change., works great and keeps engine clean. I also use wynns oil stop leak , this is to rejuvenate gaskets and seals, even you don’t have an oil leak it’s a good stuff for older cars as preventative measure. And there is another one that is good , perhaps suitable for you, oil friction modifier by wynns, since you have high oil consumption the oil in the oil pan gets a lots of exhaust gases and looses its lube properties, adding that will make oil as good as new and may reduce consumption. In the petrol I use redex petrol system cleaner or injector cleaner, this is very good too especially in lockdown and infrequent drive, helps eliminate moisture in fuel, makes better fuel mixture, cleans valves and cat converter, plugs too, it also prevent knocks on cold start caused by moisture, water and poor quality fuels. That’s my experience. 
Regards 

[gezhenry]

That's interesting that Tony and some good info there, my 'procedure' is when it's time for a service I remove the plugs give em a clean/replace/gap them (running Lpg I think I've seemed to notice that running a narrower gap seems to improve mpg on petrol too but I'm not sure too), I put oil flush type stuff through into via the cylinders and let it sit (sometimes I just use acetone/nail varnish or similar) then after a couple of runs and letting it sit, change the oil/filter. I also sometimes put it in through the pcv hose which is also easy.

Can't say for certain if it works but it's cheap and easy to do and not much more work.

[Mooly]

Just bringing this up to date...

No problems at MOT time (done last days of February actually) although I was advised the rear brake pads were getting a bit thin and given the mileage I had done might be getting a bit to close for comfort 12 months down the line and so they were replaced with Apec parts. All good on that score and I'm pleased these pads seem to produce very little brake dust unlike the originals. The fronts look good for another 200k (really they do) given how little they seem to wear.

In the four months since it was serviced I have got through a full 4 litre cannister of Castrol 5W 30 Magnatec oil. On a whim I have just got 4 litres of Castrol GTX Ultraclean oil which is 10W 40 (what the heck and it was half the price of the other stuff) and which I thought was semi synthetic although it actually mentions 'synthetic technology' on the detailed description. I still don't think it is full synthetic though. So 0W20 preferred, been using 5W30 for a while and now adding 10w40.

I have noticed (and am pretty sure this is linked to the oil issue) that if you drive 'sensibly' such as doing 60mph on the motorway and feathering the throttle that when you for example come off the motorway and initially accelerate in second gear to pull away that you can detect a lot of audible pre ignition. If you drive it harder and for example take into 5 to 6k rpm region first then you don't get this effect, presumably that burns any deposits off the plugs. I still wonder if Toyota's change of heat plug range for this engine was anything to do with this issue. A bulletin mentions pre ignition and possible 'hard starting' as being a reported symptom. Fortunately starting is instant.   

The rear wiper rubber split yesterday, however these are all original fitments and have been on the car for 11.5 years and around 77k. Not bad I suppose. A local motor factor supplied a full set of three Valeo blades for £24. The fronts were still quite serviceable although I detected a tiny tear in one a couple of inches from one end, not the wiping surface but higher up. That would have progressed quickly I suspect.

The Exide Battery fitted in January is allowing the Stop Start to perform way better than ever it did when the car was new. It works every time, every day.

[rajivrattna]

Reminds me of my Toyota Corolla from 1992 with 105HP VVTI engine that I kept for 17 years, almost trouble free except for headlight bulb change after 6 years, Battery change after 8 years, front brake disc change after 8 years, silencer changed after 10 years, alternator reconditioned after 10 years. It cost only 150 Euro per year for service and the engine never gave us any problem, little noisy on the highway at 110km/hour, low fuel consumption, the rust was the killer that made us sell it in 2009. These Corollas have great reputation and now my wife has bought a used Auris from 2015.

[rajivrattna]

It is amazing to see Mooly's car with almost no rust. This is not normal. Was it special built by Toyota?😃 Where do you live, a rust free planet?

[Mooly]

Thanks 🙂 The secret is that the Auris really really does get dry weather use only and it is garaged. The part of the world I'm in isn't kind to cars, North West England and near the coast with salt laden air and wet salty roads  in winter. The other car, the Corolla 1.4L is looking its age underneath but I'll keep it as long as it passes MOT's and isn't costing anything to run. Probably only worth £200 realistically. It has been a fantastic car. 

 

[Mooly]

Just bringing this up to date once again.

The Auris has just had its MOT and service at an independent, mileage now 84k and (gulp) 10.5 litres of oil have been added in the last year for topping up. There is no visible smoke in normal driving but I can see a little in the mirror if I descend a hill in 3rd at 30 mph for a couple of hundred metres and then apply the gas at the bottom. The daylight on the back window has to be just 'right' for this and then you see a little twirl of blue smoke. It drives as well as ever.

The emissions test show no problems, in fact they are all about as good as could be, practically zero on all things measured.

Although 0w20 is the preferred grade (5W30 used for the last few years) I asked for a 10W40 to be used this time around and Castrol Ultra Clean has been used.

In the post above this I mentioned the old Corolla... well that had a straight MOT pass in January and I was actually offered £500 there and then if I was considering selling.

They mentioned both reversing lights were not working but were not part of the test on older cars. I suspected the switch as both were out but checked one of the bulbs. Strangely the filament was intact but obviously something amiss where it was crimped to the supports. Unbelievably the other bulb had failed the same way. So both had failed identically and within a short space of each other.

At the moment I'm keeping it as I don't worry where it goes and where it gets parked.

 

 

 

 

[Motheo]

Awesome post

I love my Auris and it has given me good trouble free motoring experience and i am looking forward to more years of ownership as i am keeping it until the wheels fall off.

 

End of April 2022 will be doing some major maintenance. 

* Spark plugs

*engine oil and filter 

*coolant flush

*Tappet cover gasket

*tyre balancing and rotation 

 

Car currently is sitting on 251 000km and it is 12 years old this year. 

[Mooly]

12 minutes ago, Motheo said:

Awesome post

I love my Auris and it has given me good trouble free motoring experience and i am looking forward to more years of ownership as i am keeping it until the wheels fall off.

 

Thanks.

Is yours the 1.33L engine or something different? How is the oil consumption?

Good luck with the maintenance.

 

 

[Motheo]

On 3/22/2022 at 8:41 AM, Mooly said:

Thanks.

Is yours the 1.33L engine or something different? How is the oil consumption?

Good luck with the maintenance.

 

 

Apologies Mooly for late reply.

Yes, it is the 1.33L and it does consume oil especially if i use the VVTI a lot and high revving the engine but i guess with the Kilometers the motor has covered it is normal.

[Mooly]

No problem 🙂 and thanks for the update on it. As mentioned earlier, I've switched totally to Castrol 10W40 Ultraclean at the last service and have to say that subjectively it seems really good. Very smooth and quiet. Still burns oil of course but whether it burns quite as much remains to be seen. 

Your mileage is far higher than mine as well.

 

[Davidhee58]

On 7/4/2021 at 12:04 PM, rajivrattna said:

It is amazing to see Mooly's car with almost no rust. This is not normal. Was it special built by Toyota?😃 Where do you live, a rust free planet?

I agree, no rust at all under the body, absolutely amazing👍! seems to me it's impossible,  Mooly, can you tell us your secret?😄